Re: My Two Cents Worth..
October 29, 1999 at 21:33:47
In Reply to: My Two Cents Worth..posted by Lacey on October 29, 1999 at 08:01:16

I have spent at least 2 weeks every summer for the past 4 years driving all over the west to gold-producing areas. I have seen most of Idaho, western Montana, eastern Wash, southern Oregon (and central), and a good bit of N. Cal. Nowhere have I seen what you described. Nowhere. In fact, I have only seen dredgers out working a few times. I remember last year (98) as we came into Elk City, Ida. from the west, we saw the only dredger we saw that entire trip. He wasnt working, though. He was being questioned by a lady in EPA uniform, with big white EPA van parked by the road. Wherever you were, wasnt where I have been and I have been a lot of places. As for the forest service, you want to get some horrified looks, go into a ranger station and ask where you can prospect in their forest. You would think you had asked where all the 12 year old virgins were kept cause you are an amateur rapist. Then they will tell you untruths. I had one ranger in Washington tell me that claims in Washington didnt have to be staked or marked in any way, or even recorded! or, for a real thrill, try New Mexico, I got 2 different answers to basic questions in 2 adjacent districts of the Carson NF a month ago. One gal even said you could only metal detect between the streambanks, believe it or not. Also their panning season (!) was only June-Aug. So I just went and looked at the creek. As I sat there, a group of cowboys pushed about 70 head past my jeep, right up the creek! Cows were defecating in the stream, it was completely churned up by horses and cattle, it was awful. And filthy. Made dredging with an 8 inch look like kid stuff. But they arent regulated, no sir... The places I have seen a lot of damage to banks was where there had been huge snow and big chinooks in the spring, Idaho in 98 looked like heck, every feeder stream to the Clearwater was trashed, really flooded badly. Perhaps that is what you saw. As for the land rush thing you described, you should have called the BLM if it was getting to you, they cant undercut banks and they know it. Deserve what they get, IMHO.